What I learned as a kid from my mom: if you get in a fight with your brother or sister, you should both say you’re sorry, listen to the other, shake hands, and try to be more respectful next time. Now think about social media: if you have some friction with someone over social media, chances are, you never confront them. You just delete them from your list of friends or you block them from your notifications, deleting them from your virtual life. Deleted and forgotten.

Not to bash that practice – it seems necessary sometimes if we’re going to be in loose contact with so many people – but it’s a good thing to remember to practice those things that our moms taught us: say sorry to people face to face, shake hands, learn how to get over conflicts with each other face to face and not just with avoidance. Especially regarding people we see on a regular basis or with whom we have a real relationship not just virtually, conflicts are important. Ask a married couple if they can avoid all their conflicts. I bet they can’t. Then ask a couple who’s been married for a long time if they’ve had conflicts. They’ll probably laugh because of the obvious answer. Conflicts are just a part of life that we need to practice, and social media is not the means through which to practice it. Eye to eye contact is a good start.